Cable snubbing and locking apparatus for moored mine



Nov. 19, 1957 CABLE SNUBBING AND LOCKING APPARATUS FOR MOORED MINE FiledMay 2, 195 2 J. c. GOFF 2,813,486

2 Sheets-Sheet l o 52 5s 55 59 GI 54 l9 l8 5| IO a o f 49 II 22 34 O 0 I587 z 4| I 48 r lrr II E |4 O O I I7 38 27 \g ls O o 3| I H J INVENTOYRNJOHN. C. GOFF BY fi'wflvr-a ATTORNEYS J. C. GOFF CABLE SNUBBING ANDLOCKING APPARATUS FOR MOORED MINE Filed May 2, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v lll l lll l ll l l FEGQ3.

INVENTOR JOHN c. GOFF flaw, up

RM. 7- &a

ATTORNEYS tates CABLE SNUBBING AND LOCKING APPARATUS FOR MOORED MINEJohn C. Goff, Silver Spring, Md., assignor to the United States ofAmerica as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Application May 2,1952, Serial No. 285,783

6 (Ilaims. (Cl. 102-13) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec.266) The present invention relates to anchors for moored buoyant minesand more particularly to an improved mechanism for snubbing the anchorcable thereof as it is payed out during the launching of the mine and tolock the cable against further paying out as the plummet of the anchorstrikes the bottom of a body of water.

In devices of the prior art, it has been found difiicult to provide forsnubbing and locking the cable in an efi'icient, simple and positivemanner as in the device of the present invention.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedcable snubbing and locking device for a mine anchor which is simple andwell adapted to the purpose.

Another object is to provide a cable snubbing and locking device for amine anchor which has an improved mechanism for ensuring propersequential operation.

Still another object is to provide a cable snubbing and locking devicefor a mine anchor which is well adapted for use with the plummetmechanism and mine releasing mechanism of the mine anchor.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a mine anchor in accordance withthe present invention and showing the snubbing and locking mechanism inthe initial position;

Fig. 2 is a view showing the snubbing and locking mechanism in theposition assumed thereby after the plummet and mine have been releasedfrom the anchor;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 and showing the mechanism in thecable locking position assumed after the plummet comes to rest on thebottom; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the snubbing and locking mechanism per se.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein like numeralsindicate like parts throughout the several views, 19 indicates generallyan anchor for a marine mine 11 and having a plummet 12 suspended on oneside of the anchor 10.

Anchor comprises a casing 13 having mounted therein, on one wallthereof, a snubbing and locking mechanism indicated generally at 14. Amounting portion 15 thereof is fixed to the wall, as aforesaid. Theportion 15 has pivotally mounted thereon as at 16 a pair of members 17and 18. Mounted between the members 17 and 18 and fixedly securedthereto are the snubbing members 19 and 21 and a snubbing and lockingmember 22.

As shown particularly in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the mine 11 is securedto anchor 10 by link devices 23 and releasable turnbuckle 24, the mineresting on supports 25 atent' fixedly secured on top plate 26 of anchor10. A length of anchor cable 27 is coiled within cable dispenser 28mounted within anchor 10 on bottom plate 29 thereof.

Cable 27 extends out of mouth 31 of dispenser 28, over roller 32 mountedabove mechanism 14, around the far side of and under snubbing andlocking member 22, over member 21, under member 19, up through grommet33 in top plate 26 and thence extends to and is fastened to eye 34 whichis secured to mine 11. It will thus be seen that when mine 11 isreleased from anchor 10cable 27 will be drawn out of dispenser 28, thesnubbing members 19 and 21 and the snubbing and locking member 22preventing cable from being payed out too rapidly, thus avoidingformation of kinks and tangles in the cable.

At least one of the members 17 and '18 is provided with a substantiallyC-shaped guide slot 34 to receive pin 35 extending laterally from lever36. Lever 36 is pivotally secured as at 37 to the inner side of plate26. One

end of plummet cable 38 is secured to the lower end of lever 36 andextends through opening 39 in casing 13,

over pulley 41 and into plummet 12 where a measured length of the cable38 is stored. Plummet 12 is restrained against lateral motion by a strapmember 42 and locked against release from anchor 10 by locking device 43which is released as the roller assembly 44 of the anchor runs off theend' of the launching trackway (not shown) as is well known in the art.Locking device 43 is connected to lever 45 which is urged to the releaseposition by aspring 46 and initially held in the locking position bylatch 47 which pivots with roller assembly 44 as the mine is launched torelease lever 45 and the plummet 12.

Lever36 is urged in a direction away from pulley 41 by a spring-48. I

As the plummet falls away from anchor 10 tension is placed on lever 36rocking the lever in opposition to'spring 48 andmoving pin 35 to theopposite end of the top horizontal run of C-slot 34. Simultaneouslytherewith bell crank lever 49 is rocked by movement of link 51 whichconnects one end of lever 49 with lever 36. A

.vertical keeper 52 connected to the other end of lever 49 extendsoutwardly of top plate 26 and releases latch hook 53 as lever 49 isrocked. Turnbuckle 24 slips off of book 53 as the hook is released thusreleasing the mine 11 from the anchor 10.

As mine 11 is released and begins to separate from the anchor, cable 27is drawn out of dispenser 28, over roller 32 and the snubbing members19, 21 and 22, this action causes member 17 to move upwardly thedistance of the vertical run of C-slot 34, the pin 35 of lever 36 bear-.ing against the lower wall of the lower horizontal run of the C-slot.

As member 17 moves'to the raised position, a rod 54 formed of soft metalmoves through bore 55 of pivoted plate 56 formed of hard metal and whichgrips the rod 54 when tilted by spring 57, the rod being permitted bythe aforedescribed apparatus to move through plate 56 in only an upwarddirection, thus preventing the return of mechanism 14 to the initialposition after having moved out of said position. Cable 27 continues topay out until plummet 12 strikes the bed of the body of water, whereupontension on the cable is relieved and the lever 36- moves under influenceof spring 48 to bring pin 35 out of the lower run of C-slot 34 thusreleasing mechanism 14 upwardly, impinging cable 18 between serratedcurved surface 58 of portion 15 and the upper curved edge of member 22thus securely Wedging and locking the cable against further paying out.

As shown in the drawings, the portion 15 may be provided with an arcuateslot 59 through which a bolt or pin 61, fixedly secured to members 17and 18, passes thus limiting movement of'mechanism 14.

Anchor 10 may be provided with a flooding valve62 teachings.

for the purpose of flooding the anchor with water after 7 the mine hasbeen separated therefrom.

It is also understood that besides the rollers 44, anchor 10'is providedwith other rollers 63.

Obviously many modifications and variations-of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above It is therefore to be understood thatwithin the scope of the appended claims the invention maybe practicedotherwise than as specifically described.

' What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of theUnited States is: a

1. Control apparatus for a moored mine comprising, in combination, ananchor having a plummet for said mine, a length of cable connected atone end thereof to the mine and at the other end thereof to the anchor,a pair .of spaced plates pivotally mounted at one end thereof formovement from an initial position through an intermediate position to agripping position, a plurality of snubbing members fixedly fastened tosaid plates and -mounted therebetween, said cable passing alternatelyunder and over said snubbing members, a cable dispenser 'mounted withinsaid anchor and in which said cable is stored, a gripping member fixedlymounted in said anchor in spaced relation to one of said snubbingmembers when said snubbing member is in the initial and intermediatepositions thereof and engaging the cable in gripping relation with thesnubbing member when said snubbing member is in the gripping position, aC-slot formed in said plates, a lever pivotally mounted on said anchorand having a pin disposed within said C-slot for holding said snubbingmembers in said positions, a plummet cable carried by the plummet andconnected to'said lever for actuating said lever and moving said pinwithin the C-slot thereby releasing said members from the initialposition to the intermediate position as the plummet reaches the end ofthe plummet cable, and means connected to said lever for moving thelever sufiiciently to disengage the pin from the C-slot and release themembers for movement from said intermediate position to the grippingposition as the plummet strikes the bottom.

2. Apparatus for snubbing and locking the anchor cable of a moored minecomprising in combination, an anchor releasably secured to said mine,means within said anchor for storing a length of said cable, the cableextending out of said anchor, means for securing the cable to the mine,snubbing means interposed between said storing means and said mine forlimiting the rate at which the cable is payed out as the mine and anchorare separated, said snubbing means being supported for pivotal movementwithin said anchor and having a snubbing element secured near the freeend thereof about which the anchor cable is disposed for impartingupward movement 'thereto, a substantially C-shaped slot in said snubbingmeans at the free end thereof, a spring-urged lever pivotally mounted insaid anchor and having a pin fixed thereto, said pin initially extendingthrough said G-shaped slot, said C-shaped slot having upper and lowerhorizontal runs and a connecting vertical run, a plummet for said anchorand releasably mounted thereon, a cable mounted in said plummet forpaying out therefrom when the plummet is released, means on said anchorfor releasing said plummet as the mine and anchor are launched, meansconnected to said lever for releasing said mine as the plummet isreleased, said plummet cable being attached to the free end of saidlever whereby when the plummet is released the lever is moved by theweight of the plummet until said pin reaches the vertical run of saidslot and the snubbing means moves upwardly an amount sufficient tomaintain the pin in locking engagement with the lower run of said slotand thereby release said snubbing means as the anchor cable becomes tautafter the mine and anchor are separated, said spring-urged lever movingthe pin out of the lower run of the G-slot to release said snubbingmeans when tension on the plummet cable is released by the plummetstriking the bed of a body of water, means fixed in said anchor forengaging said anchor cable as the cable is gripped between the engagingmeans and the snubbing means when the snubbing means is in the releasedposition.

3. In an anchor fora moored mine, the combination of, a device forstoring a length of mooring cable and for dispensing the cable therefromas the anchor sinks in the water after launching, a plurality ofsnubbing elements engaging said cable and interposed between thedispensing device and the mine, an initially locked movable membersupporting said snubbing elements and movable from the initial positionto a cable clamping position as said movable member is released, aplummet having a plummet line carried thereby, controlled meansconnected to said plummet line for releasing said member from saidinitial position in response to a sudden tension on the line when apredetermined length of said line has been payed out, a C-slot formed insaid movable member, pin means on said releasing means and disposedwithin said C-slot for holding the member in the initial position, meanson said anchor coacting with one of said snubbing elements for clampingthe cable therebetween as the movable member moves to the clampingposition, and means secured to said casing and said releasing means fordisengaging said pin means from said C-slot and thereby releasing themember for movement to said clamping position in response to a decreasein tension of the line as the plummet strikes the bottom of a body ofwater.

4. The combination of a buoyant mine casing and an anchor releasablysecured thereto, said anchor including a housing, a cable dispensermounted in said housing, a length of mooring cable stored in saiddispenser and extending through said casing and secured to said minecasing, a normally locked supporting beam pivoted at one end thereof andhaving a plurality of snubbing members mounted thereon, said cable beingtrained alternately under and over said snubbing members whereby a forceis exerted thereby to cause movement of the supporting beam when thecable is payed out, a member secured to said anchor housing and having agripping surface in spaced relation to one of said snubbing memberswhereby movement of said supporting beam will move said one of saidsnubbing members toward said gripping surface for gripping the cabletherebetween, a plummet releasably said dispenser on movement of saidcontrol lever in one direction, a C-slot formed in said beam inengagement with said pin for causing the control lever to move in onedirection as the plummet reaches the end of the line and a suddentension is applied to said line, means connected to said casing and thecontrol lever for moving said control lever in the opposite directionsufficiently to disengage said pin from said C-slot and thereby releasethe beam as said plummet strikes the bottom and said tension on the lineis relieved, and means for locking said beam against movement from theintermediate position to the initial position and from the grippingposition to the intermediate position.

5. Apparatus for snubbing and locking the anchor cable of a moored minecomprising, in combination, an anchor releasably secured to said mine,said cable being secured to the mine at one end thereof and to theanchor at the other end thereof, a receptacle mounted in said anchor, aquantity of said cable being stored in said receptacle for paying outtherefrom as the anchor is released from the mine, a plummet for saidanchor and having a length of line secured thereto, a release mechanismfor said plummet operative as the mine is launched, a normally lockedsnubbing structure comprising a pair of spaced supporting beamspivotally supported at one end thereof and having a plurality ofsnubbing members fixedly secured therebetween, a roller mounted abovesaid snubbing structure for receiving said cable, said cable passingfrom said receptacle over said roller and alternately under and oversaid snubbing members and thence to the mine, a C-slot formed in saidsnubbing structure at the free end thereof for providing step motion tosaid structure and the initial, intermediate, and gripping positionsthereof are provided, an actuating lever connected to said plummet foroperation thereby, a pin carried by said actuating lever and disposedwithin said C-slot for controlling said step motion whereby the snubbingstructure is moved from the initial to the intermediate position whenthe plummet reaches the end of the line after the release thereof, meansconnected to said actuating lever for releasing said structure as thelever is moved sufliciently to disengage the pin from said C-slotwhereby said structure is moved from the intermediate to the grippingposition when the plummet strikes the bottom, and a gripping memberfixedly mounted in said anchor and adjacent the pivoted end of saidsnubbing structure whereby the cable is gripped between one of thesnubbing members and said gripping member to lock the cable againstfurther paying out as said structure is moved to said gripping position.

6. Apparatus for controlling the paying out of a mooring cable for abuoyant marine mine comprising, in combination, an anchor for said mine,a plummet for said anchor and having a plummet wire secured thereto, adispensing device for storing a quantity of said cable, a

normally locked cable snubbing device mounted in said anchor, saidsnubbing device being pivoted at one end thereof and having a C-shapedslot at the other end thereof, a plurality of snubber members fixedlymounted in said snubbing device and movable therewith, a roller mountedabove said snubbing device, said cable passing from the dispensingdevice over said roller and alternately under and over each of theplurality of snubber members, out of the anchor and thence to the mine,a lever pivotally mounted on said anchor connected to said plummet wire,a pin fixed to said lever and disposed in said C-shaped slot for lockingsaid device in an initial snubbing position and an intermediate snubbingposition until the plummet reaches the end of the wire and said lever ismoved an amount sufficiently thereby to disengage the pin from saidC-slot, spring means connected to said lever for moving the lever andreleasing the snubbing device for movement from the intermediateposition to the gripping position when the plummet strikes the bottom ofa body of water, and a gripping member fixedly mounted in said anchoradjacent the pivoted end of said snubbing device, said cable beinggripped between one of said snubber members and said gripping member toprevent further paying out of the cable when the snubbing device is insaid gripping position.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS

